By Tara Murray
It’s the start of a new era for North Sunshine in the Western Football League.
After a number of tough seasons on field, the Roadrunners made the decision to drop down to the thirds competition this year.
It means they only need to field one team, with games played on Friday nights.
Coach Paul Rossiter said they had been really good buy-in from the playing group and the club.
“We have been struggling for the last three to four years,” he said. “It’s the best thing for the club.
“It wasn’t ideal at the start but everyone has now brought into it. There’s a lot more positivity in the group.
“The last few years we’ve been getting guys from over the fence at 11.50am to play in the reserves.
“The boys know what we are doing.”
Rossiter said one of the main reasons was they wanted to get back and be competitive.
The Roadrunners have struggled in the division 2 competition in recent years with its most recent win coming in 2021.
Last season, they lost all but one match by more than 100 points and had several 200 point losses.
Rossiter said while they were taking a step back this season, it was about the long term future of the club.
He said they wanted to get back to having two seniors and competing in the Saturday competitions.
“Hopefully we can take a couple of steps forward in a couple of years,” he said. “That’s why we are down in the thirds this season.
“We’re starting afresh and hopefully we can have a little success and entice players back to the club.”
The Roadrunners have 30-35 players on the list for this year, with Rossiter hoping to add a few more for some extra depth.
He said they’d been able to recruit some players as well and they had come so far since he started at the club late last year.
Rossiter said they would like to win four to six games this season and show they can be competitive.
They have a simple goal to start the season.
“We want to win a game,” he said. “It will be a big night when that happens.
“We want to get that first win which will be massive in how sides view us and for the boys internally.
“The positivity is there now and we don’t want to lose that. We’re still training two nights a week and the intensity has stepped up.”
Rossiter said the club was still looking for more numbers and its juniors as well.
Details: www.facebook.com/northsunshinefootballclub
